Tomatoes not only thrill your taste buds, they also brighten your dinner table. Jackie Shank, undergraduate program director in the Department of Nutrition and Dietetics at the University of North Florida, discusses how this fruit is valued for its flavor and nutritional significance.

Myth: Tomatoes are one of the most popular vegetables in America.

Fact: Popular indeed, second only to America's favorite, the potato. But botanically, tomatoes aren't vegetables. They're the fruit berries of the Lycopersicon esculentum bush, a herbaceous plant in the nightshade family that's native to the west coast of South America. Today, around 7,500 tomato varieties are cultivated.

Myth: When fully ripened, all tomatoes are red.

Fact: Although most tomatoes are red, nature provides a plethora of colors, including the varieties called Pink Girl, Lemon Boy and Cherokee Purple. Regardless of their color, most ripe tomatoes provide unusually high amounts of savory glutamic acid, as well as the sharp flavors of citric and malic acids, plus a tad of natural sugars.

Myth: Tomatoes are too watery to provide significant nutrition.

Fact: One large red tomato provides impressive nutrition along with a meager 33 calories. Notable nutrients include 23 milligrams of vitamin C (38 percent of the Daily Value), 431 milligrams of potassium (12 percent of the Daily Value), 2.2 grams of fiber, and 4,683 micrograms of lycopene, a disease-fighting red pigment.

Myth: It's too rainy to grow tomatoes in Northeast Florida.

Fact: Tomatoes grow quite nicely in our area. They like a lot of sun and consistent, even watering. Beth Ireland, a UNF nutrition student and avid gardener, reports that her tomato varieties thrive. Contact your county agricultural extension agency for growing information.

Myth: Store-bought tomatoes have no flavor.

Fact: Many things affect the flavor of a tomato. One significant factor is degree of ripeness. It's common for growers to pick green, firm, unripened tomatoes to lessen damage during transport. This practice does affect flavor, since vine-ripened tomatoes continue to accumulate acids, sugar and aroma compounds. Regardless, you can still find flavorful tomatoes.

The Goods is a column about food myths and facts by faculty members at UNF's Department of Nutrition and Dietetics. Have a question about tomatoes? Contact Shank at jshank@unf.edu.